Brake actuating system



Aug. 11, 1936. G. E. EDMUNDS 2,050,937

' BRAKE ACTUAT'ING SYSTEM Original Filed March 22, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l 67am f I'd/wands;

MW,2% M

Aug. 11, 1936. s. E. EDMUNDS. 2,050,937

7 BRAKE ACTUATING SYSTEM Original Filed March 22, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuwwto o 5 may be swung to apply the brakes.

BRAKE ACTUATING SYSTEM a corporation of Ohio Original application March 22, 1934, Serial No. 716,895. Divided and this application April 5,

1935, Serial No. 14,943

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to a brake actuating system for mine cars or the like, the system including hand levers mounted so that one is accessible from each side of the car and either The present application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 716,895 filed March 22, 1934.

Practical embodiments of the invention are shown by wayof illustration in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is an end elevation of a mine car showing a suitable form of brake mechanism manipulatable from either side of the car.

Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 showing a modified form of brake actuating mechanism.

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 showing a further modified form of brake actuating mechanism, and

Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 showing still further modifications.

Referring to the drawings and first to Figure 1, reference numeral l designates generally a mine car having a fixed end wall l l. Disposed at opposite sides on end wall I i is a pair of hand levers l2 and 83, these levers being pivoted on bolts I and i5 for swinging movements in a plane parallel to the plane of the end wall. The upper ends of the hand levers are guided under straps it and H and are provided toward the wall with knife edges adapted to engage toothed segments I8 and i9 whereby the levers may be held in adjusted position. Common releasing means for the hand levers is provided by cam portions and 2i formed on a rod 22 journaled between the levers and the car end wall in brackets 23, 24, and 25, the ends of the rod being provided with arms 26 and 2?, either one of which may be grasped to rock the rod and so cam the upper ends of the levers out of engagement with their segments to permit them to return to inoperative position.

Pivoted to the car end beneath hand lever i2 on a bolt 28 is a three-armed bell crank lever having a substantially horizontally extending arm 29 and upwardly and downwardly extending arms 30 and 3!. Arm 3%] is connected to the lower end of hand lever I2 by means of a link 32. Arm 29 has connected thereto one end of a link 33 whose other end engages the substantially horizontally extending arm 34 of a bell crank lever whose other downwardly extending arm 35 is in operative connection with the brakes on that side of the car. The bell crank lever 36, 35 is pivoted to the car structure on an axis extending transversely of the latter. Such a lever and its manner of connection to the brakes is shown in my application above mentioned, and since this lever and the transmission means therebeyond are without importance so far as the present invention is concerned, their description here is thought to be unnecessary.

A three-armed lever pivoted on a bolt 36 beneath hand lever l3 has a substantially horizcntally extending arm 31 and upwardly and downwardly extending arms 38 and 39. Arm 38 is connected with the lower end of hand lever l3 by means of a link 46 and arm 31 is connected by means of a link M with one arm of a bellcrank lever 62 similar in all respects to the lever 3Q, 35, but connected with the brakes on the opposite side of the car. Arm 3| is connected by means of a link 43 with arm 38, and arm 30 is connected by means of a link 44 with arm 39. Thus as regards the three-armed levers it will be noted that their horizontally extending arms project in opposite directions and that the upper arm of one is connected to the lower arm of the other, while the lower arm of the first is connected with the upper arm of the second.

If the brakes are to be applied, the upper end of lever l2, for example, is swung toward its side of the car so that the associated three-armed lever is swung in a clockwise direction. At the same time the other three-armed lever has been swung in a counter-clockwise direction through link 43, the consequent upward movement of arms 29 and 31 rocking the lower bell crank levers and applying the brakes at both sides of the car. To release the brakes the knock-off cam is operated so that both the hand levers are free from their segments and may be returned. All of the described linkage is rigid and thus efiective under compression as well as under tension, so that the brakes may be positively released. It should also be mentioned that links 43 and 44 are of equal length and are pivoted to the associated arms of the three-armed levers at equal distances from the axes of the levers. In view of the provision of the two links 43 and 44, one acts under tension no matter which of the hand levers is moved to apply the brakes. It is preferable that the brake actuating linkage, particularly where the parts are of any considerable length, act under tension for brake actuation as will be appreciated.

The arrangement shown in Figure 4 is similar to that shown in Figure 1 with the exception that the three-armed levers Q5 and 46 have their horizontally extending arms projecting inwardly and the hand levers 41 and 48 are formed integral with the three-armed levers respectively. The arrangement functions exactly as that above described.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 2, the three-armed levers 49 and 55 are arranged substantially as in Figure 1. In this instance, however, the hand levers 5| and 52 have pin and slot connections with the three-armed levers, the pins and slots being designated at 53, 54, 55, and 55 respectively. The slot 54 is formed in a link 51 provided at its other end with a plurality of apertures through any one of which the link may be pivotally engaged through a pin 58 with a hand lever 5i The slot 56 is formed in a similar link 59. With this arrangement, hand lever 5!, for example, may be swung outwardly to apply the brakes without affecting the position of hand lever 52, pin 55 merely moving to the right in slot 55. Similarly the brakes may be applied by hand lever 52 without aiTecting the position of hand lever 5!. However, a knock-off cam 50 may beprovided, if desired, for use particularly whenthe pin and slot connections provide ihsurficient lost motion due to uncorrected stretching of the linkage or wear of the brakes so that when one hand lever is actuating the other may be moved to some extent along its cooperating segment. Due to the provision of the slots positive release of the brakes is not possible so that spring release means are provided. As here shown, the lower bell-crank levers Bi and 62 which correspond to those described with reference in Figure 1 may have their lower arms engaged by tension springs 53 and 54 whose other ends are suitably anchored to fixed parts of the car. Springs 63 and 54 act to release the brakes and hold them released.

In Figure 3 a single three-armed lever 65 is provided. The horizontally extending arm of this lever has a link 65 suspended therefrom and pivotally supporting at its lower end an equalizing bar Bl. Link (it lies substantially in the central vertical longitudinal plane of the car and engages the central portion of the equalizing bar. To the ends of the bar 51 are connected links 68 and 69 whose other lower ends engage bell-crank levers l5 and H exactly the same as levers 5| and 62 of Figure 2 and similarly spring-influenced, the springs being designated at 12 and 13. A hand lever 14 has a pin and slot connection with one end of a link 15 whose other end is pivoted to the lower arm of lever 55, the upper end of the latter being connected by means of a link 15 with a hand lever 17 and having a pin and slot connection with the same. Here, as in the construction shown in Figure 2, either hand lever may be manipulated without affecting the position of the other, the equalizing bar functioning in the well-known manner.

It will be evident that while I have mentioned a pair of hand levers as being a desirable provision in the various elements just described, one lever might be omitted in each instance without affecting the operability of the system.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of Figure 1, for example, one of the links 43, 44 might be omitted, but in this case, the remaining link would be a compression member upon actuation of one of the hand levers and a tension member upon actuation of the other. The invention is susceptible of varied embodiment and accordingly I do not limit myself as regards the specific form and arrangement of elements above described, the scope of the invention being defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a wheeled car, of brake operating mechanism comprising a pair of threearmed levers pivoted on one end of the car, each of said levers comprising a substantially horizontally extending arm and substantially upwardly and downwardly extending arms, transmission members in operative connection with said horizontally extending arms, a pair of links connecting the other arms of said levers, and a pair of hand levers of which one is arranged at each side of the car end in operative association with one of said three-armed levers, the arrangement being such that swinging of either of said handlevers causes rocking of both of said threearmed levers and consequent operation of said transmission members, the three-armed levers being positively operable by the hand levers in either direction of movement of the latter and the transmission members being effective both under tension and compression.

2. The combination with a wheeled car, of brake operating mechanism comprising a pair of hand levers of which one is arranged at each side of the car at one end of the latter, a pivoted three-armed lever at the same end of the car, said lever having a substantially horizontally extending arm and substantially upwardly and downwardly extending arms, an equalizing bar suspended centrally fro-m said horizontally extending arm, transmission means connected to the outer ends of said bar, and links connecting said hand levers with the upper and lower arms of said three-armed lever respectively.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the hand levers are associated with the three-armed lever through pin and slot connections so that one of said hand levers may be operatively moved without affecting the position of the other hand lever and wherein spring means are provided for returning the transmission members.

4. The combination with a wheeled car, of brake operating means comprising a pair of hand levers of which one is arranged at each side of the car at one end of the latter, toothed segments associated with the hand levers for holding them in adjusted position, and knock-off cams for the levers operable from either side of the car.

5. The combination with a wheeled car, of brake operating means comprising a pair of hand levers of which one is arranged at each side of the car at one end of the latter, toothed segments associated with the levers for holding them in adjusted position, and a rod extending from side to side of the car at the said end of the latter and having rigid therewith knock-ofi cams for the levers, said rod being manually rockable from either side of the car.

GLENN E. EDMUNDS. 

